Sling App Gains Support for Chromecast

A growing number of TV providers are publishing apps for watching live and recorded content outside the home, but arbitrary viewing restrictions and intractable UIs make many of them an exercise in futility. That’s why for that purpose a lot of people rely on products from Sling Media, which seamlessly beam the video and audio from your cable box to the internet. And, starting today, there’s another reason to consider them: the Slingplayer app for smartphones now supports Chromecast.

Owners of the Slingbox M1, 350, or Sling TV/500 can cast content to any Chromecast on the same network as their smartphone, just the same as any other app which supports casting. While Sling apps for set-top boxes have been around a while, the convenience and portability of Chromecast has the potential to extend Slingplayer’s reach. I think it’s a boon for travel – so long as you have a reliable connection, browsing channels from home on a hotel or condo TV is as easy as plugging Chromecast into a television and completing the setup process, at least in theory. That’s pretty sweet.